Master Me

An Ellora’s Cave Romantica Publication

www.ellorascave.com

Master Me

ISBN 9781419914072

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

Master Me Copyright © 2008 Brynn Paulin

Edited by Helen Woodall.

Cover art by Syneca.

Electronic book Publication January 2008

With the exception of quotes used in reviews, this book may not be reproduced or used in whole or in part by any means existing without written permission from the publisher, Ellora’s Cave Publishing, Inc.® 1056 Home Avenue, Akron OH 44310-3502.

Warning: The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000. (http://www.fbi.gov/ipr/) This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the authors’ imagination and used fictitiously.

MASTER ME

Brynn Paulin

Trademarks Acknowledgement

The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of the following wordmarks mentioned in this work of fiction:

Bollywood: HisKarma Productions, Inc.

Greyhound: Greyhound Lines, Inc.

Author Note

This book portrays some aspects of Domination/submission and BDSM but is not intended as a true-to-life account of this lifestyle.

Six of Pentacles

Dear Reader,

The Six of Pentacles traditionally signifies generous giving and the resultant balance of power between the giver and receiver. It is often represented by a wealthy benefactor handing gold to beggars. Because of this, the card is most often interpreted in a financial sense. The significance of the Six of Pentacles in an interpersonal relationship, however, is on adjustments in thoughts and attitudes. It is also on giving and receiving kindness, knowledge and love. I have focused on the relational meanings of this card—after all, isn’t the relationship the core of romance?

On the shadow side of this card is accumulated debt, greed, selfishness, underhandedness and exploitation. Again, these apply to both monetary and interpersonal relationships.

For years, Max has stood by and watched his friend Ana search for the person who will meet her emotional needs and though he’s had the means to help her, he’s protected his secret lifestyle rather than damage their friendship. While Ana is strong, she senses that there is a hole inside her that needs to be filled. She’s vaguely aware of what she wants but is trying to fill her need with all the wrong men. Now she’s chosen a man who will leave her even more emotionally impoverished and Max knows it’s time to step in. Both Max and Ana have been experiencing different aspects of the shadow side of this card. Max has been selfish and even envious of the men in Ana’s life. Ana has been accumulating one bad relationship after another, each stealing more and more of her soul.

Once Max decides to take their relationship to another level, the two are also the perfect embodiment of the upright Six of Pentacles. He is the benefactor and she is the beggar. He is the Dominant and she is the submissive. He will teach and she will learn.

He will give and she will receive. But as with all giving, the beggar isn’t the only one who receives. Gifts are bestowed on the benefactor as well. In accepting Max’s power over her and taking what he offers, Ana will give him the fulfillment he has searched for all his life and satisfy his needs as only she can.

Brynn Paulin

“No. I’m not at home. I’m at Max’s.” A laugh followed. “
Max
? No, he’s not like that.”

Max Cress frowned at the closed door separating him from his friend Anastasia Cooper. They’d been friends for years, she’d been to his house a million times yet she didn’t know he could hear her conversation through the door? Or maybe, she just didn’t care that he heard. After all, he was “just Max” who wasn’t “like that”. Wasn’t like that? For fuck’s sake. She always managed to make him sound like he didn’t have a penis.

Not like that, indeed.

Brooding, he slouched back into the couch, his tense mood tipping toward bad. His frown deepened into a scowl. Ana was searching for a dominant man. Wouldn’t she be surprised if she discovered exactly how “like that” he was? Wouldn’t she be stunned by his carefully hidden nature?

“Sorry ‘bout that,” she said, coming through the kitchen door and flipping shut her cell phone. She shoved a long hank of curly black hair behind a slim shoulder, the dark, silky length a striking reminder of her gypsy heritage. Her black knit shirt lifted away from her matching skirt to reveal a thin strip of creamy belly. “Keera worries about me.

After the message I left her last night, she wanted to check up on me.”

“What about last night?” Max asked sharply. Ana seemed to be on a long string of dates with a parade of Mr. Wrongs. He tried not to interfere but it was damned difficult, especially when she went out with jerk after jerk. She was looking for the proverbial bad boy and instead just found bad.

“I was with Tyler.”

6

Master Me

Speaking of bad. Max’s lips compressed. Tyler Awkes. The man traveled in Max’s circle. Unfortunately. The man’s behavior was notorious.

“And?” he asked. He’d tried to discreetly warn Ana away from the man but she’d seemed disinclined to listen. Tyler was just what she’d been looking for or so she’d said.

Yes, he was a Dom and she was a submissive but Tyler was sadistic. He didn’t care for his slaves. He took things to extremes that gave BDSM a bad name.

Ana, on the other hand, was new to the whole scene. She didn’t know the ins and outs. She didn’t know Tyler was little more than a bully. And how would Max know?

To her he was just her friend, the laid-back artist. He’d had about enough. Ana was going to get hurt if she kept up this way and he wasn’t about to let it happen. It was time someone took her in hand. Someone she could trust. Someone who knew the ropes. He smiled, cementing the decision he’d avoided for years. She’d enjoy his ropes.

He’d show her exactly what she should look for in a man. And when they were done, she’d be prepared to kneel to a new master who was worthy of her devotion.

“And?” Max repeated, pulling out his most commanding Dom voice. It was time. It had been for a while yet he’d ignored the call, not wanting to damage their friendship.

This superseded any worry. Ana was playing a game where she didn’t know the rules.

“You know I agreed to be his slave—”

“No, I did not,” he ground out. This was far worse than he’d thought. God knew what Tyler had done to her this week. Max knew the man’s MO. He tricked unsuspecting women, being deceptively nice until they were sucked into his web. Then he crushed them, destroying their spirits.

Max curled his fingers into the couch. He took a deep breath through his nose as he controlled his temper. Tyler would not destroy Ana.

“Well, I did.” Her fist clenched around the phone she still held. “Anyway, he wanted to take me to this club he goes to. He told me wanted me to prove my devotion to him by letting anyone there fuck me if they wanted to. In whatever way they wanted to.”

7

Brynn Paulin

Max’s blood turned cold. Not his Ana.

“You didn’t do it, did you?”

“He wanted me to—”

“Anastasia. You didn’t do it, did you?”

“No. Of course not. I mean, I can accept he has other slaves. I don’t like it but I can accept it. But I’m not doing that. He got really mad and tried to make me. He forced me into his car.”

Max swore under his breath. Next time he saw Tyler he might kill the man.

She sank into the chair across from where he sat and shoved her cell in her purse.

With a sigh, she gave a wobbly smile. “I told him I’m no longer his slave. I broke the contract.”

She’d signed a fucking contract with that bastard? That would make it difficult for her. A slave couldn’t just break an agreement. There were discussions…mutual arrangements. Of course with Tyler, Max could see a discussion would be pointless.

Regardless, any future Dom would be leery of taking on a sub who theoretically belonged to someone else.

She swallowed. “Then he told me I’m not really a sub, that I’m just playing around.

Maybe I’m not a sub if I can’t even do something like this to please my master. If this is what it is—”

“The scene doesn’t have to be like that.”

“I guess I’m just not submissive material.”

Right. And he didn’t have a cock. The flesh in question shoved against the fly of his jeans making its vote known and telling him it wanted to sink deep inside Ana. Big surprise there.

“Either you are or you aren’t,” he said, looking straight into her sky-blue eyes. “You are.”

She looked at him in surprise. “What would you know of it?”

8

Master Me

He sat up. The master didn’t explain himself. His temporary slave would soon learn that and much more. “First, Tyler isn’t your master. He doesn’t deserve to be called that by anyone. Second, in any D/s relationship, the submissive is allowed boundaries. Hell,
I
know your boundaries. He should have taken the time to find out what you like and what you don’t. Before either of you agreed to anything, he should have known what you might do and what you absolutely won’t. Did he ever ask?”

“No.”

“Push up your skirt a little,” he said suddenly, his tone relaxed as he eyed the black flippy skirt that she’d smoothed into place when she’d sat. He both loved and hated when she wore it. The light fabric danced around her legs when she walked, giving him teasing glimpses of her creamy thighs.

“What?” she exclaimed. His order visibly startled her, her eyes going wide.

Nervously, she pulled her hem toward her knees. It was inches from touching.

He lowered his brows and added bite to his command. “Push up your skirt.”

“No.”

“No? Now, see? This is the kind of thing we’ve discussed. This is not on your boundary list. Pushing up your skirt for the man you’re with is something you’d actually find sensual. Refusing to do it when it’s something you’ve deemed okay is disobedient.” He clamped down on the excitement unfurling inside him. This was where he’d cross the invisible line he’d placed between them all these years. “Now, come here.”

“Max?” she whispered uncertainly.

“Come. Here.” He spread his knees slightly and waited, striving to appear casual despite the blood pounding past his ears. There was nothing casual about what was about to happen. The days of ever-searching Ana and laid-back friend Max were over.

Either he’d ruin a long-standing relationship or he’d take it to a new level.

9

Brynn Paulin

She looked confused. Still, she got up and slowly walked toward him. He smiled as she again smoothed down her little skirt. That was unnecessary. He was about to get it all out of place.

Clasping her waist, he pulled her between his knees. She resisted too late, a flush creeping across her cheeks.

“Now bend,” he told her.

Her brows shot up. “What?”

“
Bend
.” He stared into her turbulent blue eyes, daring her to disobey.

“I don’t—”

“Do it, Anastasia,” he growled.

She jumped slightly then started to bend toward him. Quickly, he turned her, ignoring her shriek, positioned her across his knee and trapped her thighs between his.

He held her in place with an arm across her back.

“Max. Let me up,” she protested, twisting ineffectively.

“You see,” he began. “I know what you’ve been looking for and I know the thought of this turns you on.”

“Not with you.”

“Oh, really?” He pushed up her skirt until it was bunched on her back, leaving her white panties visible. Hell. Prissy, white cotton panties. Nothing got to him, yet they nearly undid him. Unbelievable.

Ana went still as he smoothed his hand over the perfect globes of her ass. He’d wanted to spank her for so long—probably since she’d casually mentioned she thought it might be her fetish. As if she actually comprehended what a fetish was.